The use of the autism diagnostic interview-revised with a latino population of adolescents and adults with autism.
ADI-R social and communication scores hold up with Latino clients, but repetitive behavior scores trend low—adjust your cutoff and keep asking follow-up questions.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Magaña et al. (2013) asked if the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) works the same way for Latino teens and adults as it does for White clients.
They compared ADI-R scores from Latino clients with scores from White clients who had similar autism traits.
What they found
Social and communication scores looked the same across groups. This means those parts of the ADI-R are culturally fair.
Restrictive and repetitive behavior scores ran lower in the Latino group. Clinicians may need to lower the cutoff or ask follow-up questions.
How this fits with other research
Tafolla et al. (2025) later showed the ADOS-2 gives equal severity numbers whether you test in English or Spanish. Together, the two studies say you can trust social-communication scores on both tools with bilingual clients.
Lugo-Marín et al. (2019) created a short Spanish self-report for adults. Their work pairs with Sandy’s by giving you two valid choices: a clinician interview (ADI-R) or a quick form (AQ-Short).
Taylor et al. (2017) found small race/ethnic item bias inside the ADOS. Sandy saw the same idea in the ADI-R: most items hold, but a few may miss cultural expressions of repetitive behavior.
Why it matters
If you test Latino teens or adults, keep using the ADI-R for social and communication domains. When you reach the restrictive behavior section, probe deeper and consider a slightly lower cutoff. Pair the interview with an ADOS-2 in the family’s preferred language for a fuller picture.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Research shows that Latinos are less likely to be diagnosed with autism than their non-Latino counterparts. One factor that may contribute to these differences is that autism diagnostic instruments have not been adapted for the Latino population. The present study compared scores from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised for two groups: 48 Latino adolescents and adults with autism and a matched sample of 96 non-Latino Whites. There were no significant differences between the two groups in total impairments in social reciprocity or communication. However, lower levels of restrictive-and-repetitive behaviors were found among Latino adolescents and adults with autism compared to Whites. Findings suggest that there may be cultural equivalency in some domains, but others may warrant further exploration.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2013 · doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1652-3